The Elevator Resonance
by Anjirika
Summary: "Come on Penny, Don't not talk to me." "That's a double negative," she muttered, earning a little laugh from Leonard. "See? And you said that you weren't picking up on anything that we said." Spoilers for S4E16 'The Cohabitation Formulation' Plz R


_Disclaimer: The characters of the Big Bang theory do not belong to me. They belong to CBS. I am merely borrowing them for a little while. This is my first 'Big Bang Theory' fan fiction so please be kind._

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The Elevator Resonance **

"Hey, look at that." Leonard pointed out as he and Penny walked into the lobby of their apartment building after their grocery shopping trip. "The elevator is fixed."

"No way," Penny exclaimed. "I thought it was permanently broken."

"No. Actually Mrs. Norman-Baker from upstairs said that when she first moved in the elevator worked all the time."

"And has it worked since you and Sheldon moved in?" she asked as she hit the elevator button.

Leonard shook his head as the elevator doors dinged open. "Nope."

"So don't you think its strange that the super has decided to fix it now?"

Leonard shrugged as they entered the elevator. "I have no idea."

"So do you think it's safe?" Penny asked as she hit the button for their floor.

"I don't see why not," Leonard stated as the doors closed and the elevator began to move.

"I know it's a strange question." Penny began "But I was just wondering why the super decided to fix it now and—" Penny stopped speaking when there was a horrible jolt. She fell against Leonard who put his arms protectively around her. "—what the hell was that?" she asked as she stood up and stepped away from Leonard.

"I don't know," he stated honestly as he put down his bag of groceries and went over to the panel.

"Leonard?"

"Yes Penny?"

"We're not moving."

Leonard sighed and pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. "I noticed that."

"Well what are we going to do?"

"We're uh..." he began as he looked up and down the panel. "We're going to call for help."

Penny sighed with relief as Leonard picked up the phone but she could see by the look on his face that something was wrong. "Leonard?" she asked again.

"The phone is dead."

"Ugh!" Penny exclaimed as she leaned against the elevator wall. "Of course it is."

"Now just relax," Leonard stated, though Penny and he both knew that it was to calm him down more than it was to calm her down. "We're going to be fine. Someone will try and use the elevator only to find out that it's not working and that will prompt someone else to call for help and," he paused to see that Penny was pulling out her cell phone. "What are you doing."

"Calling for help,"

"Oh," he stated rather sheepishly. "Should have thought of that."

"God dammit." Penny cursed.

"What is it?"Leonard asked as he came to stand beside Penny.

"I've got no service," she complained. "Check your phone."

Leonard did as was suggested and found that he too got no reception.

"This is just great." Penny stated irritably. "What are we going to do now?"

"I dunno," Leonard answered. "We could yell."

"Help!" Penny cried out. "Help!"

Ten minutes of yelling followed by forty minutes of sharing the two bottles of wine that Penny had bought, she and Leonard were quite giddy. They were laughing at nothing and getting very cozy with each other. "Can I tell you a funny story?" asked Leonard as he leaned against Penny.

"Course sweetie," she replied with a giggle of her own. "What's your story?"

"Well it's less of a story and more like a confession which kinda has no bearing now that things have developed the way that they have but I feel the need to tell you now and—"

"Sweetie," Penny interjected, her voice echoing in the quiet elevator. "Just tell me."

"Okay," Leonard stated. He took a deep breath and looked down at the wine bottle in his hand. "I've been in love with you since the first moment I met you."

"I'm sorry what?" asked Penny.

Leonard stood up the best he could. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"No," Penny insisted as she stood up. "I'm not going to forget that."

"Well you should," Leonard stated as he sat in a corner as far away from Penny as he could get.

"And why should I?" asked Penny as she came to sit beside him.

"Because you've made it perfectly clear that nothing is ever going to happen between us again and I—"

"—just so I'm clear," Penny interjected. "You've l— cared about me from the first moment we met?"

Leonard nodded, almost as though he was embarrassed.

"Do you..." Penny began, trying to figure out what she should say. "...do you believe in things like that?"

"Things like what?"

"Faerie tale things," Penny answered. "Fate. Destiny... love at first sight."

Leonard shrugged. "I dunno," he stated. "Being a scientist I'm predisposed to not believe in those things seeing how there's no quantifiable way to prove them but—"

"—but what?" asked Penny.

"But since I met you, I sorta do."

Penny leaned back against the wall of the elevator. "Wow."

"Wow what?"

"I had no idea."

Leonard laughed. "You weren't supposed to."

"Kinda wish I did though."

"What?"

"What?" asked Penny, not understanding Leonard's question.

"You said that you wished that you—"

"—knew. Yeah. That's what I said."

"So uh, why is that exactly?"

"Why is what?"

Leonard sighed. "Why do you wish that you knew about...my feelings for you."

Penny shrugged. "I don't know."

"I think you do."

Penny turned her head away.

"Come on Penny," Leonard pleaded. "Don't not talk to me."

"That's a double negative," she muttered, earning a little laugh from Leonard.

"See? And you said that you weren't picking up on anything that we said."

"Leonard," Penny began. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"Why?" he asked. "Because we're getting too personal?"

"I said that I don't want to talk about it."

"You never want to talk about," Leonard complained. "You always do this."

"Always do what?" she asked, turning back to him. "What are you talking about?"

"You always run away when things start to get serious."

"I do not."

"Yes you do," he argued. "That's what you did with me."

"Yeah well, you said that you loved me."

"It was the truth."

"I wasn't ready to hear it."

"Well how about now?" Leonard asked.

Penny shook her head. "I said that I don't want to talk about it."

"See," Leonard pointed out. "This is what you always do."

"So?" asked Penny. "What does it matter."

"It matters because you don't let anyone in."

"That's not true."

"Okay," Leonard conceded. "You let people be your friends but the moment that someone shows the littlest bit of love towards you, you back off."

"That's not true," Penny defended.

"It was true with me."

"Because I was afraid of losing you."

"What?" asked Leonard, not believing what he had just heard. "What made you think that you would lose me?"

Penny sighed and put her face in her hands. "Things never work out with any of the guys I've dated," she answered, her voice slightly muffled thanks to the position that she was sitting in. "And I was afraid that if you and I were to break up after getting kinda serious then you'd never want to speak to me again and I couldn't bear that."

"What?" asked Leonard, still not following. "You thought that I would stop being your friend." Penny nodded but said nothing. Leonard didn't know what to do until he noticed that she was crying. "Oh Penny," he continued as moved so he was sitting across from her. "It's okay."

"No," she cried. "It's not."

"Yes," Leonard assured. "It is. You don't have to cry."

"Course I do," she explained. "I've ruined everything."

"No," Leonard assured. "You haven't."

"Yes," she argued as she looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. "I have."

"How."

"I've pushed away the only guy that I've ever..."

"Ever what?" asked Leonard, taking Penny's hands in his.

Penny shook her head. "Forget it."

"No. I won't forget it." Leonard argued. "Talk to me."

"I can't."

"Of course you can."

"No," Penny argued. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

For a moment there was stunned silence and it was Leonard who spoke first. "You. Love me?"

Penny nodded but still said nothing.

"Can I ask for how long?"

Again, Penny nodded, but said nothing.

"Can you tell me how long you've loved me?"

Penny nodded. "It's uh, been a while."

"How long is a while?"

Penny shrugged. "Since Priya came back."

"Priya?" asked Leonard, knowing what Penny was talking about. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Well I know that you slept with her."

"And how do you know that?"

"Sheldon told me," Penny answered. "And I got confirmation from Raj when he was drunk."

Leonard shook his head. "I still don't understand."

"Don't you?" asked Penny. "I was jealous. I still am jealous."

"Jealous? But we're not even together."

"I know," Penny exclaimed. "And that's what made me think about why I was jealous and once I realized that the reason for my jealousy is the fact that I didn't want you sleeping with any other women well I had to figure out where that was coming from and once I did that I—"

Penny's sentence was cut off by Leonard who surprised both himself and her by moving in for a kiss. The kiss was passionate and rather frantic and it was a kiss that Penny returned enthusiastically. When they finally broke away, they were both breathless and Penny let her head rest against Leonard's forehead. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Sorry for what?" asked Leonard.

"For not telling you earlier," Penny explained. "For being afraid."

Leonard shook his head slightly. "It's alright."

"No," Penny argued in a quiet whisper. "It's not alright. I should have told you sooner. I love—"

"Please," Leonard interrupted. "Don't say it if you don't really mean it."

Penny pulled away. "You think that I'm lying?"

"No," he assured.

"Then what is it?"

"Girls like you don't love guys like me," he explained. "You know that."

"I know that I love you." Penny stated. "I love you... do you still love me?"

Leonard watched Penny's face carefully. He could see how scared she was, how unsure. It was a face that he only saw when he was helping her pick up the pieces from a broken heart or after a bad breakup and he felt guilty for so obviously being the cause. Leonard knew that he had to put her mind at ease and so he took her hands again and gave them a gentle squeeze of assurance. "I never stopped."

Penny smiled, and laughed slightly in relief. She had been so afraid of what Leonard would have said and he had said just what she had dreamed he would. Penny leaned forward and kissed Leonard once again. This time the kiss wasn't so frantic or desperate. It was loving, caring and would be the first kiss of many.

END

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Author's Note: So as I stated before this is my first Big Bang Theory fanfiction. The inspiration for this came the other day when I finally got to see the first episode of season one. I was surprised to see that Leonard was smitten with Penny from the very beginning and I couldn't help but wonder what could possibly bring them together again. Then I read the little spoiler about Priya coming back in season four episode 16 and I figured that she would be a good catalyst for Penny to confront her feelings about Leonard. The elevator was just a little plot device to force them to talk. I hope that you enjoyed it and that you'll take the time to leave a review. Thanks again for reading. ~Anjirika_


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